1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to artificial fishing lures, and more specifically to spinner baits.
2. Related Art
Artificial fishing lures are available in a wide variety of types, however, an exceedingly popular type of fishing lure is called the xe2x80x9cspinner bait.xe2x80x9d This type of fishing lure emphasizes the use of one or more spinner blades to increase the attractiveness of the lure to fish. The spinner blade is normally formed as a substantially separate part of the lure, that is, the typical spinner bait is formed of a wire body having two arms that extend in a V-shape with the fishing line or leader attached to the wire body at the intersection of the two arms. The two arms, usually formed of a single length of stainless steel wire, extend at an acute angle relative to each other. The typical spinner bait has a body secured to one of the arms and a fish hook extending rearwardly from the body. The other arm of the spinner bait has one or more spinner blades attached to it. The typical spinner bait is designed so that when it is pulled through the water the spinner arm is vertically positioned above the body arm. A fish is attracted to the moving lure by the dramatic effect caused by the rotating, flashing spinner blades that rotate above the lure body which is fixed to, or is a part of, the frame body arm.
Spinner baits have become exceedingly popular and have consumed, according to some reports, between about 40% to about 60% of the fresh water artificial bait market in the United States. The effectiveness of a spinner bait appears to reside in its ability to attract fish to the dressed hook. More specifically, the increased action, vibration, sound and flash produced by a spinner bait, compared to other types of artificial lures, seems to account for the spinner bait""s success.
In addition to spinner baits that attract fish with rotating spinner blades, there are various other forms of artificial bait that attract fish due to their resemblance to naturally occurring fish foods, such as worms, minnows, crawdads, etc. These forms of artificial bait usually must be cast close to a fish in order for the fish to strike the bait because, unlike spinners that have spinning blades, these artificial lures have nothing to attract fish from a distance. Fish are very difficult to see when submersed in water, therefore it is very challenging, if not impossible, to cast an artificial lure close to a fish. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an artificial fishing lure that not only resembles a naturally occurring fish food, but that also contains a means for attracting fish to the lure from a distance.
A problem with spinner baits is that they often become tangled on weeds or twigs below the surface of a body of water. When fishing with a spinner bait, a common technique is to cast the spinner bait beyond a specific section of water in which it is believed that fish are present. The spinner bait is then reeled through that section of water in the hopes of getting a fish to strike the spinner bait. Oftentimes, the sections of water in which fish tend to congregate are also the sections of water containing the most plant growth, i.e., weeds. Thus, spinner baits tend to get xe2x80x9chung-upxe2x80x9d in the sections of water which are most likely to be populated by fish. For that reason, there is a need in the art for an improved spinner bait that does not snag on undergrowth while simultaneously attracting fish.
An improved spinner bait is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,941 issues to Hayes et al. The invention disclosed in Hayes is a spinner bait having a triangular landing pattern which is formed by the nose of the lure and the outer ends of the arms which extend downwardly and rearwardly. As a result, an angle of between about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees is formed between the arms and the shank of the hook. The pointed end of the hook thus is kept above the bottom surface of the body of water. While this configuration purportedly prevents a spinner bait from snagging on the bottom surface of a body of water, it does nothing to prevent the hook from snagging on weeds, twigs, and/or other undergrowth beneath the surface of the water.
Conventional weed guards by themselves do not solve the problem, because in order for the weed guard to be effective it must be very close to the pointed end of the hook. So close, in fact, that the weed guard may decrease the likelihood of being able to set the hook in the mouth of a fish. When the weed guard is trimmed, thereby creating adequate room around the hook for setting the hook in the mouth of a fish, the weed guard is no longer effective at preventing the hook from snagging on undergrowth. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a realistic spinner bait that attracts fish, is easy to set in the mouth of a fish, and that prevents the hook of the spinner bait from snagging on undergrowth beneath the surface of the water.
The present invention solves the foregoing problems by providing a spinner bait with a xe2x80x9clifelikexe2x80x9d appearance, an unobstructed hook for hooking fish, and a means for preventing the hook of the spinner bait from snagging on growth beneath the water.
An aspect of the invention is a spinner bait, including a head having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a rearward end, and opposing sides, wherein the head lies in a horizontal plane; a hook having a shank, a curved portion, and a pointed end, wherein the hook extends from the rearward end of the head; two legs, each having a front end and a rearward end, wherein the front ends of the legs are connected to the front end of the head, and the legs extend rearwardly over the top surface of the head and toward the hook; and two spinner blades attached to and extending from the legs.
A feature of the invention is a hole or an eyelet adapted for receiving a fishing line, and positioned at the front end of the head.
Another feature of the invention is that the arms extend rearwardly from the head for a predetermined distance before diverging, thereby simulating the body and/or legs of a marine animal, such as a frog.
Another feature of the invention is that the spinner blades are connected to the arms behind the pointed end of the hook.
Another feature of the invention is that the arms and the head lie in about the same horizontal plane.
An advantage of the invention is its lifelike appearance which causes the spinner bait to effectively attract fish.
Another advantage of the invention is that the hook is prevented from snagging on undergrowth beneath the water surface by the legs which extend past and just to the sides of the pointed end of the hook.
Another advantage of the invention is that the hook is partially concealed by legs which extend rearwardly from the head and past the pointed end of the hook.